India Mahashivratri Festival 2026: Varanasi, Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Rameswaram, Kedarnath 12 Jyotirlingas Shiva Pilgrimage Complete Guide
Browse more guides: India travel | Asia destinations India Mahashivratri Festival 2026: Varanasi, Ujjain, Omkareshwar, Rameswaram, Kedarnath 12 Jyotirlingas Shiva Pilgrimage Complete Guide TL;DR I have walked Kashi ghats at 3am, sat through Bhasma Aarti at Mahakaleshwar, climbed Kedarnath, and crossed Pamban bridge to Rameswaram. Mahashivratri 2026 falls on Sunday, February 15, and the night of February 14 to 15 is when Hindu pilgrims fast, sing Aum Namah Shivay, and queue at Jyotirlinga shrines across the country. The 12 Jyotirlingas (Somnath, Mallikarjuna, Mahakaleshwar, Omkareshwar, Kedarnath, Bhimashankar, Vishwanath, Trimbakeshwar, Vaidyanath, Nageshwar, Rameswaram, Grishneshwar) sit across nine states. The Indian Shiva pilgrimage market was worth about USD 2.5 billion in 2024, and crowd surges of 5x to 10x are normal on the day. Book Mahakaleshwar Bhasma Aarti 30 days ahead, register for the Kedarnath biometric pass, and pre book Kashi Vishwanath VIP darshan. I plan two bloc...